Vietnam–Cuba rice partnership sets new model for sustainable food security: Cuba’s Inter Press Service

Titled “Rice cooperation with Vietnam changes Cuba’s land lease model”, the article detailed how Vietnamese private enterprise Agri VMA leased 1,000 ha of land in Los Palacios district, Cuba’s westernmost province of Pinar del Río, for rice cultivation over a three-year period. The project’s first harvest in 2025 recorded an impressive yield of 7.2 tonnes per hectare, far exceeding the local average of 1.6 tonnes, thanks to the comprehensive application of Vietnamese agricultural technologies, including hybrid rice varieties, fertilisers, pesticides, and advanced farming techniques.

More than just a farming initiative, the project is helping to build a localised value chain. All rice harvested will be sold to the Cuban Government, eliminating the need for imports from Vietnam and reducing Cuba’s dependence on international markets.

IPS quoted Ariel García, Director of the Cuban agricultural company Los Palacios, who emphasised that the project's goal is import substitution. Producing locally is far more efficient, he said.

The collaboration between Agri VMA and Cuban authorities goes beyond land leasing, incorporating two additional business models aimed at long-term technology transfer. Following a thorough feasibility assessment, a cooperation agreement was signed in February 2023. Agri VMA brought a full suite of agricultural inputs and modern machinery to Los Palacios, once a degraded land due to over-farming, along with a skilled Vietnamese technical team.

Prior to expanding to 1,000 ha, Agri VMA had successfully piloted the project on 16 ha during the off-season, achieving yields of 6.5 tonnes per hectare. With sustained productivity, cultivated areas could scale up to 5,000 ha in the near future, a positive development for Cuba, whose domestic rice output in 2024 is expected to reach only 80,000 tonnes, covering just 11% of national consumption.

The article also noted Agri VMA’s active role in technology transfer, workforce training, and the restoration of local agricultural infrastructure. One significant example is the revival of the Camilo Cienfuegos drying and milling plant, heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022, now operational again and providing dozens of local jobs with wages well above the national average.

Analysts have praised the project’s innovative model, calling it a strategic solution to reduce Cuba’s dependence on food imports amid ongoing economic sanctions. With production costs estimated at just 565 USD per tonne, substantially lower than import prices, the development of high-tech agriculture projects with reliable partners like Vietnam is opening up new opportunities for Cuba’s agricultural sector.

Agri VMA’s early success not only underscores the strength of Vietnamese agriculture but also exemplifies the efficiency of South–South cooperation based on mutual benefit and sustainable development.